Kaliningrad, as seen here, is sandwiched between Lithuainia and Poland. Is there any particular reason that this formerly Polish/Lithunian/Prussian region stayed a part of Russia after the collapse of the USSR, instead of becoming a part of another closer country?
Formerly it was neither Polish nor Lithuanian. East Prussia was a part of Germany for a long time until the WW2, when it was occupied by the USSR, all Germans were expelled and it was divided between the USSR and Poland. As such, it was incorporated directly into the Russian SSR, not to the neighbouring Lithuanian SSR. And because the USSR dissolved strictly along SSR lines, it meant it became a part of the Russian Federation.
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/search?q=kaliningrad&restrict_sr=on
This is the third time today I've seen a question on this...
Here's a more specific thread.
